McALESTER – Achille’s best basketball season in decades came to a close Friday at the hands of the Boswell Scorpions in a 62-54 Scorp win that was bittersweet for both teams.
The Eagles saw the last of senior Austin Beene, who scored 30 points and had Achille within three points in the final minutes.
And Boswell learned that senior stand-out Markell Henderson would likely miss the remainder of the playoffs with a knee injury.
But Cameron Collier stepped in and scored 33 for the Scorpions, with another 14 from Tracy Brown.
Achille only trailed by five (28-23) at the half. Leading by just four to start the fourth, Boswell’s Cameron Roberts set the tone with a transition three to push the lead to seven.
But the Eagles were aggressive and got to the line often, closing the gap and eventually taking a brief lead. Collier answered with a three-point play and Tracy Brown muscled inside to keep up the pressure.
Trailing by three with 1:45 to go, the Eagles were forced to foul and Boswell built up a seven point lead on free throws by the 30 second mark. Achille was out of time.
“Our kids played with a lot of heart,” said Achille Coach Nick Beene. “Cameron Collier kicked our tail. We wanted to limit his penetration better and we didn’t do it. He is a tough freshman, and they’ll be good next year.”
Achille’s up-and-coming freshman Bradley McKnight will also presumably return, giving the Eagle-Scorpion rivalry all the more intrigue. McKnight was held to four points in the Friday contest, while Derick Baker added eight and T.J. Childree scored six for Achille.
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